Father in heaven,
00:00:22.92\00:00:23.92
We thank
00:00:23.92\00:00:24.42
you so much
00:00:24.42\00:00:25.85
that you know
00:00:25.85\00:00:26.59
our deepest needs
00:00:26.59\00:00:28.26
and you minister to them
00:00:28.26\00:00:29.82
through your word.
00:00:29.82\00:00:30.79
Please be present
00:00:30.79\00:00:31.76
with us through your Spirit
00:00:31.76\00:00:33.46
as we embark on another journey
00:00:33.46\00:00:35.50
through the Gospel of Mark.
00:00:35.50\00:00:36.80
May our attention, may
00:00:36.80\00:00:37.77
my mind be focused on
00:00:37.77\00:00:39.20
you and our minds collectively
00:00:39.20\00:00:41.37
so that we would hear
00:00:41.37\00:00:42.50
just what we need to hear.
00:00:42.50\00:00:44.74
We thank you for it.
00:00:44.74\00:00:46.07
In Jesus name, Amen.
00:00:46.07\00:00:48.38
Perhaps
00:00:52.98\00:00:53.42
you heard the story
00:00:53.52\00:00:54.45
just about a week ago.
00:00:54.45\00:00:56.79
A young man
00:00:56.79\00:00:57.42
who we?call Shawn
00:00:57.42\00:00:59.29
was stranded,
00:00:59.29\00:01:00.52
literally stranded
00:01:00.52\00:01:01.69
in the middle
00:01:01.69\00:01:02.49
of the English Channel.
00:01:02.49\00:01:04.76
The story is that
00:01:04.76\00:01:05.63
Shawn was trying
00:01:05.63\00:01:06.43
to make his way across
00:01:06.43\00:01:07.66
that body of water
00:01:07.66\00:01:08.96
when his kayak capsized.
00:01:08.96\00:01:11.73
When the story opened,
00:01:12.63\00:01:14.14
at least in the news reports,
00:01:14.14\00:01:16.30
he was clinging to a buoy.
00:01:16.30\00:01:18.84
I don't know
00:01:19.91\00:01:20.41
if many of
00:01:20.41\00:01:21.11
you do much in the waters.
00:01:21.11\00:01:23.55
I'm not a captain,
00:01:24.25\00:01:26.31
so I was unaware of the fact
00:01:26.31\00:01:29.85
that all of the buoys
00:01:29.85\00:01:31.09
apparently are named
00:01:31.09\00:01:32.82
in the English Channel.
00:01:32.82\00:01:33.99
At least this one was
00:01:33.99\00:01:35.96
Colbart Nord.
00:01:35.96\00:01:37.63
And some of you,
00:01:37.63\00:01:38.43
if you have roots in the U.K.
00:01:38.43\00:01:40.10
or in France,
00:01:40.10\00:01:40.76
maybe you're nodding
00:01:40.76\00:01:41.50
your heads. Oh, Colbart Nord.
00:01:41.50\00:01:43.40
Well, that's the buoy
00:01:43.40\00:01:44.50
that he was hanging on to.
00:01:44.50\00:01:45.70
It?everal miles off
00:01:45.70\00:01:47.07
the coast of France, off
00:01:47.07\00:01:48.40
the west coast of France,
00:01:48.40\00:01:49.50
toward England.
00:01:49.50\00:01:51.37
Shawn when he was discovered,
00:01:52.04\00:01:54.31
was in nothing
00:01:54.58\00:01:56.24
but his swimming trunks
00:01:56.24\00:01:58.55
in the frigid waters
00:01:58.65\00:02:00.42
of the English Channel.
00:02:00.42\00:02:02.72
How he was found
00:02:02.72\00:02:03.95
is also fascinating.
00:02:03.95\00:02:05.82
The captain of a Danish
00:02:05.82\00:02:07.16
fishing ship
00:02:07.16\00:02:08.19
was having a bad day,
00:02:08.19\00:02:10.63
at least as far as the fishing.
00:02:10.63\00:02:12.29
And so he decided to go
00:02:12.29\00:02:13.60
to waters
00:02:13.60\00:02:14.20
that might be more promising.
00:02:14.30\00:02:16.16
I don't know
00:02:16.16\00:02:16.90
whether he actually
00:02:16.90\00:02:17.70
found any more fish,
00:02:17.70\00:02:19.37
but as he was heading
00:02:19.37\00:02:20.27
to those waters,
00:02:20.27\00:02:21.07
he wanted to make sure
00:02:21.07\00:02:22.20
he didn't
00:02:22.20\00:02:22.54
get too close to that buoy.
00:02:22.87\00:02:24.57
And as he was
00:02:24.57\00:02:25.37
looking at the buoy
00:02:25.37\00:02:26.41
with his binoculars,
00:02:26.41\00:02:27.91
he saw Shawn waving his arms,
00:02:27.91\00:02:30.71
desperately
00:02:30.81\00:02:31.95
trying to get his attention.
00:02:31.95\00:02:34.45
Well, as the story played out,
00:02:34.45\00:02:35.82
after some 48 hours
00:02:35.82\00:02:37.82
in those frigid waters,
00:02:37.82\00:02:39.45
Shawn was not in good shape.
00:02:39.45\00:02:41.39
The boat
00:02:42.46\00:02:44.16
was not able to pull
00:02:44.16\00:02:45.16
right up to the buoy,
00:02:45.16\00:02:46.63
I guess for obvious reasons,
00:02:46.63\00:02:48.00
to those of you
00:02:48.00\00:02:48.63
that are sailors.
00:02:48.63\00:02:49.70
And he threw in,
00:02:49.70\00:02:50.87
the captain did, a
00:02:50.87\00:02:53.97
you get it, a lifesaver.
00:02:53.97\00:02:56.91
Shawn had enough energy
00:02:56.91\00:02:58.94
to grab on to that
00:02:58.94\00:03:00.48
and to be pulled to the boat
00:03:00.48\00:03:01.94
where he was
00:03:01.94\00:03:02.54
then brought on board.
00:03:02.54\00:03:04.51
And this is where it gets
00:03:04.51\00:03:05.51
even more remarkable.
00:03:05.51\00:03:06.61
When I read the
00:03:06.61\00:03:07.28
medical description
00:03:07.28\00:03:08.68
of his body temperature,
00:03:08.68\00:03:10.82
78.8 degrees.
00:03:10.82\00:03:13.96
If you're doing
00:03:14.26\00:03:14.92
the math, that's
00:03:14.92\00:03:15.52
about 20 degrees
00:03:15.52\00:03:16.73
colder than it should be.
00:03:16.73\00:03:19.56
He was walking a fine line
00:03:19.56\00:03:21.33
between life and death
00:03:21.33\00:03:22.80
at that point.
00:03:22.80\00:03:23.67
He was confused.
00:03:23.67\00:03:24.93
He was exhausted.
00:03:24.93\00:03:26.07
He was dehydrated.
00:03:26.07\00:03:27.54
He was badly bruised,
00:03:27.54\00:03:29.10
apparently from
00:03:29.10\00:03:29.97
hitting up against the buoy
00:03:29.97\00:03:31.31
or something else
00:03:31.31\00:03:32.07
in the rough seas.
00:03:32.07\00:03:33.31
He couldn't even speak.
00:03:33.31\00:03:35.28
But he was saved
00:03:35.28\00:03:36.64
from the point of death
00:03:36.64\00:03:38.58
to salvation.
00:03:38.58\00:03:40.75
Well, you might say
00:03:40.75\00:03:42.52
it's a great story
00:03:42.52\00:03:43.82
in a church, right?
00:03:43.82\00:03:45.25
Because this is really a lot
00:03:45.25\00:03:46.76
like the story
00:03:46.76\00:03:47.49
of heaven's rescue.
00:03:47.49\00:03:48.59
Now granted,
00:03:48.59\00:03:49.52
God wasn't on a fishing trip
00:03:49.52\00:03:51.36
looking for more fertile
00:03:51.36\00:03:52.56
fishing grounds,
00:03:52.56\00:03:53.43
but maybe you could say, well,
00:03:53.43\00:03:54.73
maybe you might even want
00:03:54.73\00:03:55.73
to continue the metaphor
00:03:55.73\00:03:57.03
to that as well.
00:03:57.03\00:03:58.17
But you get the point.
00:03:58.17\00:03:59.43
It wasn't just a
00:03:59.43\00:04:01.47
business endeavor.
00:04:01.47\00:04:03.27
Jesus came to this planet
00:04:03.27\00:04:05.87
risking everything
00:04:06.61\00:04:08.78
to rescue us.
00:04:09.14\00:04:10.68
It is really the focus
00:04:10.68\00:04:12.05
of the gospel of Mark.
00:04:12.05\00:04:13.25
If you've been following along
00:04:13.25\00:04:14.48
in this series,
00:04:14.48\00:04:15.08
we've actually been seeing
00:04:15.08\00:04:16.62
how the Gospel of Mark opens up
00:04:16.62\00:04:18.79
as heaven's
00:04:18.92\00:04:19.92
rescue plan for this planet.
00:04:19.92\00:04:22.02
From the very
00:04:22.29\00:04:22.86
beginning of Jesus words
00:04:22.86\00:04:24.39
in Mark 1:15, Jesus says this.
00:04:24.39\00:04:28.03
The time is fulfilled
00:04:28.03\00:04:29.36
and the Kingdom of God
00:04:29.36\00:04:30.70
is at hand.
00:04:30.70\00:04:31.70
It's here.
00:04:31.70\00:04:32.70
Believe in the Gospel.
00:04:32.70\00:04:34.77
And so what's going on?
00:04:35.04\00:04:36.30
Jesus is announcing
00:04:36.30\00:04:37.71
His kingdom.
00:04:37.71\00:04:38.41
His reign is beginning
00:04:38.41\00:04:40.38
on planet Earth.
00:04:40.38\00:04:41.51
And as things
00:04:41.51\00:04:42.21
play out in Mark's
00:04:42.21\00:04:43.18
rapid paced gospel,
00:04:43.18\00:04:45.15
we find Jesus showing
00:04:45.15\00:04:47.02
what His kingdom looks like.
00:04:47.02\00:04:48.72
We've seen how Jesus heals
00:04:48.72\00:04:50.69
the demon
00:04:50.69\00:04:51.32
possessed,
00:04:51.32\00:04:52.19
how Jesus casts out
00:04:52.19\00:04:53.89
febrile illnesses.
00:04:53.89\00:04:55.42
In the case of Peter's
00:04:55.42\00:04:56.86
wife's mother.
00:04:56.86\00:04:58.09
We saw how Jesus
00:04:58.09\00:04:59.46
healed leprosy.
00:04:59.46\00:05:01.26
We saw that
00:05:01.26\00:05:01.90
paralysis was no match
00:05:01.90\00:05:03.63
for Jesus.
00:05:03.63\00:05:04.50
And in fact,
00:05:04.50\00:05:05.37
when we read that
00:05:05.37\00:05:06.17
summary statement in Mark 1:34,
00:05:06.17\00:05:09.40
it says,
00:05:09.54\00:05:09.97
Jesus healed many who were sick
00:05:10.24\00:05:11.91
with various diseases
00:05:11.91\00:05:13.68
and cast out many demons.
00:05:13.68\00:05:15.64
And He did not allow
00:05:15.64\00:05:17.11
the demons to speak
00:05:17.11\00:05:18.51
because they knew Him.
00:05:18.51\00:05:20.35
Jesus, miracle after
00:05:20.35\00:05:22.85
miracle as Mark's gospel opens.
00:05:22.85\00:05:26.29
Jesus was showing
00:05:26.52\00:05:27.76
the arrival of His kingdom.
00:05:27.76\00:05:29.32
His kingdom is here.
00:05:29.32\00:05:30.79
He's rescuing people.
00:05:30.79\00:05:32.43
More dramatic
00:05:32.43\00:05:33.63
than the rescue of
00:05:33.63\00:05:34.83
Shawn on that buoy.
00:05:34.83\00:05:36.83
Some of you might say, well,
00:05:36.83\00:05:37.67
that was pretty dramatic,
00:05:37.67\00:05:38.67
but think about it.
00:05:38.67\00:05:39.77
Paralyzed for how many years?
00:05:39.77\00:05:41.64
And now you're healed.
00:05:41.64\00:05:42.84
Think about it. Leprosy.
00:05:42.84\00:05:44.31
Cast out from your friends.
00:05:44.31\00:05:45.91
Now you're healed.
00:05:45.91\00:05:47.14
Jesus
00:05:47.14\00:05:48.04
working with
00:05:48.04\00:05:49.18
unparalleled power.
00:05:49.18\00:05:51.75
Now,
00:05:51.75\00:05:52.21
if you didn't know
00:05:52.51\00:05:53.58
the narrative,
00:05:53.58\00:05:54.15
if you'd never read the Bible,
00:05:54.25\00:05:55.92
if you'd never read
00:05:55.92\00:05:56.69
the Gospel of Mark.
00:05:56.69\00:05:57.85
You might think
00:05:57.85\00:05:58.89
if you knew anything
00:05:58.89\00:05:59.75
about the biblical worldview,
00:05:59.75\00:06:02.62
even not having read it,
00:06:02.62\00:06:04.03
remember, that's the context.
00:06:04.03\00:06:05.39
You would say, well,
00:06:06.39\00:06:07.23
maybe Jesus is going to set up
00:06:07.23\00:06:09.10
the Messianic kingdom
00:06:09.10\00:06:10.37
right now. Right?
00:06:10.37\00:06:12.10
Is that what's going to happen?
00:06:12.10\00:06:13.47
Is Jesus is going to say,
00:06:13.47\00:06:14.37
hey, the kingdom's here.
00:06:14.37\00:06:15.77
Everyone's going to be healed.
00:06:15.77\00:06:18.41
But as we read on into Mark 2,
00:06:18.41\00:06:21.51
we find that
00:06:21.51\00:06:23.01
there is another power at work.
00:06:23.01\00:06:25.41
It is not just
00:06:25.78\00:06:26.61
the kingdom of God that's here,
00:06:26.61\00:06:28.35
but there is another power.
00:06:28.35\00:06:31.55
Jesus?markable healing words
00:06:31.55\00:06:34.46
are not going
00:06:34.46\00:06:35.39
to have unfettered reign
00:06:35.39\00:06:38.19
because you know
00:06:38.46\00:06:39.23
how it plays out
00:06:39.23\00:06:40.10
on planet Earth.
00:06:40.10\00:06:41.26
We are in the middle of
00:06:41.26\00:06:42.70
a great controversy,
00:06:42.70\00:06:44.40
and when God is working
00:06:44.40\00:06:45.57
powerfully,
00:06:45.57\00:06:46.77
what typically
00:06:46.77\00:06:47.97
also is happening?
00:06:47.97\00:06:50.11
That's right.
00:06:50.11\00:06:50.64
Satan is ramping up his efforts
00:06:50.81\00:06:53.17
to undermine God's work.
00:06:53.34\00:06:55.41
Let's remind ourselves
00:06:55.41\00:06:56.58
of what we saw
00:06:56.58\00:06:57.15
already in chapter
00:06:57.15\00:06:58.21
two in our previous study.
00:06:58.21\00:06:59.85
In Mark 2
00:06:59.85\00:07:00.82
Jesus said to that paralytic
00:07:00.82\00:07:02.72
lowered through the roof
00:07:02.72\00:07:03.95
right by his four friends,
00:07:03.95\00:07:05.59
he said,
00:07:05.59\00:07:06.12
Your sins are forgiven.
00:07:06.12\00:07:07.96
He's laying there
00:07:07.96\00:07:09.06
rejoicing in his sins, finally
00:07:09.06\00:07:12.79
being off his conscience.
00:07:12.86\00:07:14.83
Jesus has forgiven him.
00:07:14.96\00:07:16.13
What do the enemies
00:07:17.57\00:07:18.97
of Jesus do?
00:07:18.97\00:07:21.07
Their reasoning listen
00:07:21.24\00:07:23.17
in their hearts.
00:07:23.17\00:07:25.97
Why does this man
00:07:25.97\00:07:27.68
speak blasphemies like this?
00:07:27.68\00:07:29.44
Who can forgive sins
00:07:29.44\00:07:31.15
but God alone?
00:07:31.15\00:07:32.55
And then
00:07:32.55\00:07:32.85
Jesus really causes them
00:07:33.15\00:07:34.62
to be taken aback
00:07:34.62\00:07:36.02
because they're not speaking
00:07:36.02\00:07:37.45
these words out loud.
00:07:37.45\00:07:38.49
Do you catch the text?
00:07:38.49\00:07:40.09
It says their reasoning where?
00:07:40.09\00:07:42.29
In their hearts,
00:07:42.29\00:07:44.26
and Jesus knows their hearts.
00:07:44.26\00:07:47.13
You see
00:07:47.13\00:07:47.96
Satan creating controversy,
00:07:47.96\00:07:50.70
but Jesus seeking to heal.
00:07:51.30\00:07:54.40
You see His ministry
00:07:54.80\00:07:56.17
of preaching,
00:07:56.17\00:07:57.04
teaching and healing
00:07:57.04\00:07:58.67
is stirring up
00:07:58.67\00:08:00.28
the forces of the enemy.
00:08:00.28\00:08:02.38
And so Jesus
00:08:02.38\00:08:04.08
and His word, the most powerful
00:08:04.08\00:08:06.21
healing agencies that we have.
00:08:06.21\00:08:07.88
We're talking
00:08:07.88\00:08:08.32
about healing insights
00:08:08.42\00:08:09.75
from the gospel of Mark.
00:08:09.75\00:08:11.15
Satan doesn't
00:08:11.15\00:08:12.19
want those healing insights
00:08:12.19\00:08:13.46
to have effect in your life.
00:08:13.46\00:08:15.16
And so he is going to use
00:08:15.16\00:08:16.76
a variety of techniques.
00:08:16.76\00:08:18.16
One of them
00:08:18.16\00:08:18.53
we're seeing in Mark's
00:08:18.69\00:08:19.19
gospel is controversy.
00:08:19.19\00:08:21.63
How many people today
00:08:21.63\00:08:23.37
are not going to church's
00:08:23.37\00:08:25.67
because of, quote, controversy?
00:08:26.00\00:08:28.47
I mean, you run into people.
00:08:29.77\00:08:31.27
I run into them, right?
00:08:31.27\00:08:32.74
They say, oh, well,
00:08:32.74\00:08:33.38
this happened.
00:08:33.38\00:08:33.94
I don't
00:08:33.94\00:08:34.24
you know, that church
00:08:34.51\00:08:34.94
I was raised in, you know,
00:08:35.14\00:08:36.48
you know,
00:08:36.48\00:08:36.78
there's all of these problems
00:08:37.18\00:08:37.85
there.
00:08:37.85\00:08:38.51
You know, they're
00:08:38.51\00:08:38.91
and they're not
00:08:38.91\00:08:39.25
doing this right
00:08:39.38\00:08:39.98
or they're not doing that
00:08:39.98\00:08:40.95
right.
00:08:40.95\00:08:41.58
There's all kinds of things
00:08:41.58\00:08:43.05
that are keeping people
00:08:43.05\00:08:44.55
from God's word
00:08:44.55\00:08:45.49
and from God's people.
00:08:45.49\00:08:46.62
What we're going to see
00:08:46.62\00:08:47.46
as we look now at Mark
00:08:47.46\00:08:48.49
2 and onward,
00:08:48.49\00:08:49.86
we're going to see
00:08:49.86\00:08:50.49
that there are five vignettes,
00:08:50.49\00:08:52.06
five short stories
00:08:52.06\00:08:54.23
where Jesus,
00:08:54.23\00:08:55.43
in the midst of His
00:08:55.43\00:08:56.60
healing ministry,
00:08:56.60\00:08:57.90
becomes the center of conflict.
00:08:57.90\00:09:00.34
In Mark 2
00:09:00.34\00:09:02.17
as it begins
00:09:02.17\00:09:03.04
in that story of the paralytic,
00:09:03.04\00:09:04.81
Jesus is forgiving
00:09:04.81\00:09:06.37
and ultimately healing
00:09:06.37\00:09:07.58
that palsied man.
00:09:07.58\00:09:08.88
But I don't want you
00:09:08.88\00:09:09.34
to miss something,
00:09:09.34\00:09:10.41
because as we're speaking about
00:09:10.41\00:09:11.38
conflict and controversy,
00:09:11.38\00:09:13.45
don't make a mistake.
00:09:13.45\00:09:15.15
And I'll be honest with you,
00:09:15.15\00:09:16.28
I sometimes make this mistake,
00:09:16.28\00:09:17.82
so I'm not speaking to you
00:09:17.82\00:09:19.42
like I've got this
00:09:19.42\00:09:20.22
all figured out.
00:09:20.22\00:09:21.49
But you see, oftentimes
00:09:21.49\00:09:23.83
we think of conflict
00:09:23.83\00:09:25.16
and controversy
00:09:25.16\00:09:26.29
and trials as being negative.
00:09:26.29\00:09:30.13
But really,
00:09:30.13\00:09:31.13
if you look at Mark
00:09:31.13\00:09:32.17
2, you'll see that conflict
00:09:32.17\00:09:35.34
instead of contracting
00:09:35.67\00:09:37.37
or shrinking Jesus?nistry,
00:09:37.37\00:09:39.54
it actually becomes
00:09:39.54\00:09:41.58
something that expands
00:09:41.58\00:09:43.21
His ministry.
00:09:43.21\00:09:44.58
Just look with me at this.
00:09:44.58\00:09:46.65
First of all,
00:09:46.65\00:09:47.88
before we look
00:09:47.88\00:09:48.58
at some of the narrative,
00:09:48.58\00:09:49.55
I want to point something out
00:09:49.55\00:09:51.09
to you.
00:09:51.09\00:09:52.05
Conflict has the ability
00:09:52.05\00:09:54.12
to help truth shine
00:09:54.22\00:09:55.62
more brightly.
00:09:55.62\00:09:56.66
Some of you have been studying
00:09:56.66\00:09:57.73
through the
00:09:57.73\00:09:58.49
the classic Christian
00:09:58.49\00:09:59.76
devotional, The Upward Look.
00:09:59.76\00:10:01.66
I've been studying
00:10:01.66\00:10:02.66
through it, too, with you.
00:10:02.66\00:10:04.33
And coming up in one of the
00:10:04.33\00:10:06.90
readings on page 324,
00:10:07.04\00:10:09.17
you will find these words.
00:10:09.17\00:10:11.34
All trials.
00:10:12.27\00:10:14.24
How many trials?
00:10:14.24\00:10:15.44
All trials that are received
00:10:15.44\00:10:18.41
as educators will produce joy.
00:10:18.41\00:10:22.45
Now, there's a
00:10:23.39\00:10:25.02
conditional clause here, right?
00:10:25.02\00:10:27.09
It's implied. All trials.
00:10:27.09\00:10:29.36
If you receive them
00:10:29.39\00:10:31.33
as educators,
00:10:31.33\00:10:32.09
you pick that up in the in
00:10:32.09\00:10:33.73
the passage there?
00:10:33.73\00:10:35.40
So if you
00:10:35.40\00:10:36.30
are going through a trial
00:10:36.30\00:10:37.47
and you realize
00:10:37.47\00:10:38.47
that you can learn from it,
00:10:38.47\00:10:40.14
it will produce joy.
00:10:40.14\00:10:41.94
Now, some of you are starting
00:10:41.94\00:10:42.80
to scratch your heads.
00:10:42.80\00:10:43.57
You say,
00:10:43.57\00:10:44.54
I don't know about this.
00:10:44.97\00:10:45.97
Let me give you
00:10:45.97\00:10:46.34
a little bit more context
00:10:46.61\00:10:47.51
from the upward look. Page 324.
00:10:47.51\00:10:49.61
Trials are Christ's workmen
00:10:49.94\00:10:52.61
to perfect
00:10:53.11\00:10:54.35
the Christian graces.
00:10:54.35\00:10:56.38
These tests are not to sink
00:10:56.38\00:10:58.89
the believers faith.
00:10:59.19\00:11:00.86
But to do what?
00:11:00.86\00:11:02.26
But to raise it
00:11:02.26\00:11:03.69
to the occasion.
00:11:03.69\00:11:05.69
Think about Shawn again
00:11:05.69\00:11:07.56
in the North Sea
00:11:07.56\00:11:08.86
and the English Channel there.
00:11:08.86\00:11:10.70
And what's going on.
00:11:10.70\00:11:11.83
He's holding on to a buoy.
00:11:11.83\00:11:13.77
It's keeping him elevated.
00:11:13.77\00:11:15.84
He's holding on to something
00:11:15.84\00:11:18.34
that was keeping him afloat.
00:11:18.44\00:11:20.61
Yes, he was in the
00:11:20.91\00:11:21.68
midst of trial.
00:11:21.68\00:11:22.74
Keep listening here
00:11:23.95\00:11:24.98
to this passage.
00:11:24.98\00:11:26.48
It's to raise our faith
00:11:26.48\00:11:28.65
to the occasion
00:11:28.65\00:11:29.88
that until all it may be made
00:11:29.88\00:11:31.42
to appear
00:11:31.42\00:11:32.15
more precious
00:11:32.15\00:11:33.12
than gold, that perisheth,
00:11:33.12\00:11:34.86
though it be tried with fire.
00:11:34.86\00:11:36.73
God is wanting
00:11:36.73\00:11:37.63
to purify your faith,
00:11:37.63\00:11:39.66
and He does it often
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.16
through trial.
00:11:41.16\00:11:42.40
Every trial permitted
00:11:42.40\00:11:44.37
is designed to exalt the truth
00:11:44.37\00:11:48.10
to a higher appreciation.
00:11:48.10\00:11:49.74
That praise to God alone
00:11:49.74\00:11:51.91
shall be upon the lips
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.38
of the true
00:11:53.38\00:11:53.84
disciples of Christ.
00:11:53.91\00:11:55.04
Now, think about
00:11:55.04\00:11:56.18
how we often handle things,
00:11:56.18\00:11:57.61
how I often default, right?
00:11:57.61\00:12:00.08
Something comes in your life
00:12:00.25\00:12:01.48
that's a trial.
00:12:01.48\00:12:02.08
And what do you do?
00:12:02.08\00:12:03.75
How many of you
00:12:04.15\00:12:04.82
your default,
00:12:04.82\00:12:05.62
your knee jerk
00:12:05.62\00:12:06.45
response might be to complain.
00:12:06.45\00:12:08.62
Oh no.
00:12:09.09\00:12:09.56
Why is this happening again?
00:12:09.76\00:12:10.86
God, how did you let
00:12:10.86\00:12:11.79
this happen again? No,
00:12:11.79\00:12:13.23
all trials
00:12:14.20\00:12:15.30
that are received
00:12:15.30\00:12:16.06
as what
00:12:16.06\00:12:16.46
educators are
00:12:16.46\00:12:18.37
productive of joy.
00:12:18.37\00:12:20.60
Think about this.
00:12:20.60\00:12:22.54
You say this is biblical.
00:12:22.54\00:12:24.81
You don't have to go
00:12:24.81\00:12:25.54
very far in the letter
00:12:25.54\00:12:27.58
that James wrote
00:12:27.58\00:12:28.91
to realize
00:12:28.91\00:12:29.88
that this is the same theme
00:12:29.88\00:12:31.58
that he begins his letter with.
00:12:31.58\00:12:33.55
My brethren count it all joy.
00:12:33.55\00:12:36.62
Now, let me just pause
00:12:36.72\00:12:37.42
right there.
00:12:37.42\00:12:38.39
Why does he say
00:12:39.09\00:12:39.99
count it al joy?
00:12:39.99\00:12:42.06
Why does he say reckon it joy?
00:12:42.06\00:12:44.49
Why does he say
00:12:45.06\00:12:45.76
attribute joy
00:12:45.76\00:12:47.03
to this situation?
00:12:47.03\00:12:49.06
I would suggest
00:12:49.06\00:12:49.90
because we often don't, Right?
00:12:49.90\00:12:52.40
He's talking about
00:12:52.40\00:12:53.34
when you fall,
00:12:53.34\00:12:54.24
continue in the text.
00:12:54.24\00:12:55.50
When you
00:12:55.50\00:12:55.87
fall into various trials.
00:12:56.14\00:12:58.64
Count it what?
00:12:59.11\00:12:59.91
Count it all joy.
00:12:59.91\00:13:01.38
It's the same thing.
00:13:01.38\00:13:02.84
Count it all joy. Why?
00:13:02.84\00:13:04.35
Knowing that
00:13:04.35\00:13:04.95
the testing of your faith
00:13:04.95\00:13:06.85
produces patience
00:13:06.85\00:13:08.88
or perseverance or endurance.
00:13:08.88\00:13:11.29
God is trying to build
00:13:11.49\00:13:12.45
your faith and mine.
00:13:12.45\00:13:13.49
He's trying to give us a gift.
00:13:13.49\00:13:15.56
And so he allows adversity.
00:13:15.56\00:13:17.69
He wants to be
00:13:18.29\00:13:20.53
the one that we glorify
00:13:20.83\00:13:21.93
in our lives.
00:13:21.93\00:13:22.70
He wants us to recognize
00:13:22.70\00:13:24.50
our need.
00:13:24.50\00:13:25.13
Now, think about this
00:13:25.13\00:13:25.97
for a minute.
00:13:25.97\00:13:26.33
Every conflict
00:13:26.33\00:13:27.44
I told you, it's
00:13:27.44\00:13:28.14
going to magnify
00:13:28.14\00:13:29.10
Jesus ministry.
00:13:29.10\00:13:30.27
Because in each of these
00:13:30.27\00:13:31.61
five conflicts that come
00:13:31.61\00:13:33.74
beginning in Mark 2:1, and
00:13:33.74\00:13:34.31
proceed through the
00:13:36.21\00:13:36.91
beginning of chapter
00:13:36.91\00:13:37.75
three, in every conflict,
00:13:37.75\00:13:39.45
something shines
00:13:39.45\00:13:40.38
out more brightly
00:13:40.38\00:13:41.42
about Jesus ministry.
00:13:41.42\00:13:42.85
So here's what we see
00:13:42.85\00:13:44.22
in chapter
00:13:44.22\00:13:45.22
two in that first story
00:13:45.22\00:13:46.22
that we already looked at
00:13:46.22\00:13:47.12
in our previous study.
00:13:47.12\00:13:48.62
After they accused Jesus
00:13:48.62\00:13:50.69
of not
00:13:50.86\00:13:51.46
having the ability to forgive,
00:13:51.53\00:13:52.83
they say He's blaspheming.
00:13:52.83\00:13:54.36
Jesus says these words
00:13:54.36\00:13:56.56
“that
00:13:56.56\00:13:56.83
you may know
00:13:56.97\00:13:58.70
that the son of man
00:13:58.70\00:14:00.04
has power on earth
00:14:00.04\00:14:02.07
to forgive sins”.
00:14:02.24\00:14:04.07
Now, it was implicit right?
00:14:04.07\00:14:06.61
When He spoke those words
00:14:06.91\00:14:08.18
to the paralytic laying
00:14:08.18\00:14:09.48
there lowered through the roof.
00:14:09.48\00:14:11.35
But now He's making explicit
00:14:11.35\00:14:12.95
that the Son of man
00:14:12.95\00:14:14.72
has power on earth
00:14:14.72\00:14:15.55
to forgive sins.
00:14:15.55\00:14:16.62
So what does He do?
00:14:16.62\00:14:18.25
What does He do?
00:14:18.25\00:14:19.55
That's right.
00:14:19.55\00:14:20.06
Then He heals the man.
00:14:20.06\00:14:21.16
He says,
00:14:21.16\00:14:21.42
Why do you reason
00:14:21.66\00:14:22.72
about these things
00:14:22.72\00:14:23.53
in your hearts?
00:14:23.53\00:14:24.03
Which is easier to say
00:14:24.03\00:14:26.33
to the paralytic.
00:14:26.33\00:14:28.16
Your sins are forgiven
00:14:28.16\00:14:29.30
you or to say, Arise,
00:14:29.30\00:14:30.50
take up your bed and walk.
00:14:30.50\00:14:32.10
So what does Jesus do?
00:14:32.10\00:14:33.80
He tells him,
00:14:33.80\00:14:34.84
take up your bed and walk.
00:14:34.84\00:14:36.97
That's what He does.
00:14:36.97\00:14:38.47
And what does the man do?
00:14:38.47\00:14:39.91
He gets up and he walks.
00:14:41.11\00:14:43.55
The paralytic is healed.
00:14:43.68\00:14:45.81
What is the point here?
00:14:45.81\00:14:47.28
It is possible.
00:14:47.28\00:14:48.28
It is theoretically possible
00:14:48.28\00:14:50.42
that had no one complained
00:14:50.42\00:14:52.35
because the man didn't say,
00:14:52.35\00:14:53.79
remember the paralytic,
00:14:53.79\00:14:54.76
didn't say, Hey, Jesus,
00:14:54.76\00:14:55.66
you missed the point.
00:14:55.66\00:14:56.89
I'm here. I'm paralyzed.
00:14:56.89\00:14:58.49
No, he's happy
00:14:58.49\00:15:00.36
that Jesus had met
00:15:00.36\00:15:01.26
his deepest need.
00:15:01.26\00:15:02.16
If no one had objected, it's
00:15:02.16\00:15:03.47
possible,
00:15:03.47\00:15:04.70
theoretically possible,
00:15:04.70\00:15:05.70
that he could have left
00:15:05.70\00:15:07.80
without physical healing,
00:15:07.80\00:15:09.30
rejoicing in the Lord
00:15:09.30\00:15:10.97
who had healed his spirit.
00:15:10.97\00:15:13.64
But because of their objection,
00:15:13.64\00:15:15.58
because of the challenge.
00:15:15.58\00:15:16.81
Jesus power is
00:15:16.81\00:15:17.88
magnified, right?
00:15:17.88\00:15:20.22
It's magnified.
00:15:20.22\00:15:21.78
Let's continue
00:15:21.78\00:15:22.52
now to conflict number two.
00:15:22.52\00:15:24.92
It says, Jesus went out again
00:15:24.92\00:15:26.45
beside the Sea of Galilee
00:15:26.45\00:15:28.06
and all the crowd
00:15:28.06\00:15:29.22
was coming to Him
00:15:29.22\00:15:30.36
and He was teaching.
00:15:30.36\00:15:32.53
And as He passed
00:15:32.53\00:15:33.73
by, He saw Levi,
00:15:33.73\00:15:35.73
the son of Alpheus,
00:15:36.20\00:15:37.80
sitting at the tax booth,
00:15:37.80\00:15:39.97
and He said to him, Follow me.
00:15:40.50\00:15:43.20
And he rose and followed Him.
00:15:43.67\00:15:45.67
Now, those of you
00:15:46.27\00:15:47.01
that are Bible students
00:15:47.01\00:15:48.01
realize that Levi is also known
00:15:48.01\00:15:50.08
as Matthew.
00:15:50.08\00:15:51.25
He was to become one of the 12.
00:15:51.25\00:15:53.42
This call is similar
00:15:53.42\00:15:55.25
to a call
00:15:55.25\00:15:55.75
that we saw in Mark one.
00:15:55.85\00:15:57.02
Remember how Jesus called
00:15:57.02\00:15:58.89
four fishermen,
00:15:58.89\00:16:01.09
James and John,
00:16:01.09\00:16:02.16
Peter and Andrew.
00:16:02.16\00:16:03.43
But now the call goes out
00:16:03.43\00:16:04.79
to someone who well, fishermen,
00:16:04.79\00:16:07.13
you know,
00:16:07.13\00:16:07.40
they weren?n
00:16:07.60\00:16:07.83
high society, but
00:16:08.06\00:16:09.60
I mean, fishermen were okay
00:16:09.60\00:16:11.67
in the
00:16:11.67\00:16:12.17
minds of the
00:16:13.23\00:16:14.44
Jewish people of that day.
00:16:14.44\00:16:16.64
But when you start talking
00:16:16.64\00:16:18.31
tax collectors,
00:16:18.31\00:16:19.97
you're
00:16:19.97\00:16:20.38
just going into
00:16:20.38\00:16:21.34
a whole different direction.
00:16:21.34\00:16:23.88
And that's not the
00:16:23.88\00:16:24.65
end of the story,
00:16:24.65\00:16:25.98
because after
00:16:25.98\00:16:26.72
Jesus calls Matthew,
00:16:26.72\00:16:28.92
it seems that
00:16:29.25\00:16:29.78
Matthew is so touched
00:16:29.78\00:16:31.69
by Jesus graciousness
00:16:31.69\00:16:33.86
that he calls a huge party.
00:16:33.86\00:16:36.19
Now, this is not
00:16:36.73\00:16:37.46
just little snacks
00:16:37.46\00:16:38.39
hors d?vres.
00:16:38.39\00:16:39.16
Listen to the account
00:16:39.16\00:16:40.16
Mark 2:15.
00:16:40.16\00:16:41.63
It says,
00:16:41.63\00:16:42.03
as He reclined at
00:16:42.13\00:16:43.63
table in his house.
00:16:43.63\00:16:45.67
What historians tell us is
00:16:45.67\00:16:47.07
when you talk about a feast
00:16:47.07\00:16:48.47
where you're
00:16:48.47\00:16:48.77
reclining at table,
00:16:49.00\00:16:49.97
this is a formal dinner.
00:16:49.97\00:16:51.84
Now, I know for you today
00:16:51.84\00:16:53.07
that would not
00:16:53.07\00:16:53.94
indicate a formal dinner,
00:16:53.94\00:16:55.18
but back then,
00:16:55.18\00:16:55.98
that's the formal dinner.
00:16:55.98\00:16:56.95
You're reclining at table.
00:16:56.95\00:16:58.25
You're on these couches
00:16:58.25\00:16:59.41
where you're eating.
00:16:59.41\00:17:00.32
People are serving you.
00:17:00.32\00:17:01.85
And He is not only eating with
00:17:01.85\00:17:04.09
the tax collector,
00:17:04.39\00:17:05.79
Levi Matthew,
00:17:05.79\00:17:07.09
but many tax collectors.
00:17:07.09\00:17:09.96
And get the operative word
00:17:09.96\00:17:12.23
here, sinners
00:17:12.23\00:17:14.30
were reclining with Jesus
00:17:14.30\00:17:16.16
and His disciples,
00:17:16.16\00:17:17.67
for there were many
00:17:17.67\00:17:18.67
who followed Him.
00:17:18.67\00:17:20.04
This this is
00:17:20.04\00:17:23.27
over the top.
00:17:24.34\00:17:25.97
For those
00:17:25.97\00:17:26.47
holy people
00:17:26.47\00:17:27.68
who are watching Jesus,
00:17:27.68\00:17:29.68
the scribes and Pharisees,
00:17:29.68\00:17:31.18
their response
00:17:31.18\00:17:32.08
when he sees Jesus
00:17:32.08\00:17:33.62
eating with sinners
00:17:33.62\00:17:34.85
and tax collectors,
00:17:34.85\00:17:37.69
they don't come right to Jesus.
00:17:37.69\00:17:40.06
They come to His disciples
00:17:40.06\00:17:42.06
and they say.
00:17:42.06\00:17:43.79
Why is your
00:17:43.96\00:17:45.89
why is is He
00:17:46.63\00:17:48.20
eating with tax collectors
00:17:48.20\00:17:49.73
and sinners?
00:17:49.73\00:17:51.30
What is the implication?
00:17:51.30\00:17:52.73
What is the concern
00:17:52.73\00:17:53.57
they're raising?
00:17:53.57\00:17:54.97
They're basically saying
00:17:54.97\00:17:56.34
this can't be a holy man,
00:17:56.34\00:17:58.41
this can't be a good man.
00:17:58.41\00:17:59.94
Look at the people He's
00:17:59.94\00:18:01.21
keeping company with.
00:18:01.21\00:18:03.38
But I want you to
00:18:03.85\00:18:04.71
think about what's
00:18:04.71\00:18:05.41
going on here.
00:18:05.41\00:18:06.95
Jesus is fellowshipping
00:18:06.95\00:18:09.22
with the social
00:18:09.38\00:18:10.69
and the spiritual outcasts.
00:18:10.69\00:18:12.72
Jesus is doing something
00:18:13.15\00:18:14.89
remarkable.
00:18:14.89\00:18:15.72
This is one of the
00:18:15.72\00:18:16.93
healing insights
00:18:16.93\00:18:18.13
that come to us
00:18:18.13\00:18:18.79
from the Gospel of Mark.
00:18:18.79\00:18:20.43
Are you aware
00:18:20.43\00:18:21.66
that medical research documents
00:18:21.66\00:18:24.03
the negative impact
00:18:24.33\00:18:26.30
of discrimination?
00:18:26.30\00:18:27.80
Are you aware of this?
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.10
I mean, it's compelling.
00:18:29.10\00:18:30.04
Those of us
00:18:30.04\00:18:31.14
in health professions
00:18:31.41\00:18:32.31
realize something.
00:18:32.31\00:18:33.58
For many years,
00:18:33.58\00:18:34.21
I've worked with a
00:18:34.21\00:18:35.14
indigent population.
00:18:35.14\00:18:36.41
Some of you know,
00:18:36.41\00:18:36.91
I still
00:18:36.91\00:18:37.85
do a little bit of telemedicine
00:18:37.85\00:18:39.31
with the population
00:18:39.31\00:18:40.15
in Northern California.
00:18:40.15\00:18:41.82
It is a very poor population
00:18:41.82\00:18:44.75
that I work with.
00:18:44.75\00:18:45.39
Almost everyone that I,
00:18:45.39\00:18:46.52
I deal with
00:18:46.52\00:18:47.29
is on public assistance.
00:18:47.29\00:18:49.32
And what I've seen in working
00:18:49.32\00:18:51.99
with that population
00:18:51.99\00:18:53.53
is that people discriminate
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.83
against them.
00:18:55.83\00:18:56.77
They're nothing.
00:18:56.77\00:18:57.70
They're not any good.
00:18:57.70\00:18:58.93
They're not as valuable as
00:18:58.93\00:19:01.24
other people.
00:19:01.24\00:19:02.00
I don't care whether
00:19:03.17\00:19:04.01
it's your social status.
00:19:04.01\00:19:05.71
I don't care
00:19:05.71\00:19:06.17
whether it's your race.
00:19:06.27\00:19:07.44
I don't care.
00:19:07.44\00:19:07.94
It's where you were born.
00:19:08.08\00:19:08.98
I don't care.
00:19:08.98\00:19:09.31
It's how you talk.
00:19:09.48\00:19:10.48
I don't care.
00:19:10.48\00:19:11.38
Whatever.
00:19:11.38\00:19:11.95
You can go through a whole list
00:19:12.08\00:19:13.31
of descriptors, right?
00:19:13.31\00:19:14.68
But people are often
00:19:14.68\00:19:16.22
discriminated against.
00:19:16.22\00:19:17.92
And in medical circles,
00:19:17.92\00:19:20.56
the discussion
00:19:20.79\00:19:21.52
often is, well,
00:19:21.52\00:19:22.36
why do these people have
00:19:22.36\00:19:23.43
poorer health outcomes?
00:19:23.43\00:19:25.66
And sometimes people
00:19:25.66\00:19:26.80
want to point fingers
00:19:26.80\00:19:28.46
at the
00:19:28.46\00:19:28.73
one ones
00:19:28.80\00:19:29.76
being discriminated against.
00:19:29.76\00:19:32.47
But one of the things
00:19:32.47\00:19:33.27
the research shows
00:19:33.27\00:19:35.00
is that discrimination itself,
00:19:35.00\00:19:37.84
discrimination itself
00:19:38.27\00:19:40.48
undermines health.
00:19:41.04\00:19:43.04
Now, let's just pause
00:19:43.04\00:19:43.85
here for a minute,
00:19:43.85\00:19:44.71
because some of you,
00:19:44.71\00:19:45.55
if you're like me,
00:19:45.55\00:19:46.88
you're trying to track
00:19:46.88\00:19:48.02
along with this message,
00:19:48.02\00:19:49.08
you're saying,
00:19:49.08\00:19:49.38
oh, wait, wait, wait a minute.
00:19:49.75\00:19:51.25
Dr.
00:19:51.25\00:19:51.75
DeRose earlier
00:19:51.75\00:19:52.72
said, trials are blessings.
00:19:52.72\00:19:55.29
Now he's talking about this
00:19:55.76\00:19:57.19
trial of
00:19:57.19\00:19:57.83
being discriminated against,
00:19:57.83\00:19:59.83
and he's trying to tell us
00:19:59.83\00:20:00.80
it's bad.
00:20:00.80\00:20:01.46
I mean, shouldn't
00:20:01.46\00:20:02.13
this be a blessing?
00:20:02.13\00:20:04.20
Well, it's true
00:20:04.20\00:20:06.40
that if you count it joy,
00:20:06.87\00:20:09.34
God can take something
00:20:09.67\00:20:11.04
that your enemies mean
00:20:11.04\00:20:12.94
to hurt you with
00:20:12.94\00:20:14.01
or inadvertently
00:20:14.01\00:20:15.08
are hurting you through,
00:20:15.08\00:20:17.08
and He can turn it
00:20:17.08\00:20:17.91
into a blessing.
00:20:17.91\00:20:18.85
Remember the statement.
00:20:20.55\00:20:22.05
All trials that are received
00:20:22.05\00:20:24.29
as educators will produce joy.
00:20:24.29\00:20:27.56
But here's the reality.
00:20:28.06\00:20:29.62
Most people
00:20:29.62\00:20:30.33
don't accept trials
00:20:30.33\00:20:31.99
as educators.
00:20:31.99\00:20:33.76
Are you following
00:20:33.76\00:20:34.20
along with me?
00:20:34.20\00:20:35.36
Most people don't count it joy
00:20:35.36\00:20:38.03
when they're falling
00:20:38.13\00:20:38.80
into temptation.
00:20:38.80\00:20:40.44
So here's the reality.
00:20:40.44\00:20:41.64
If you look at large
00:20:41.64\00:20:42.60
medical studies,
00:20:42.60\00:20:43.54
you'll find
00:20:43.54\00:20:44.14
that people
00:20:44.14\00:20:44.97
who experience
00:20:44.97\00:20:45.94
the trial of discrimination
00:20:45.94\00:20:48.11
tend to have worse
00:20:48.11\00:20:49.91
health outcomes.
00:20:49.91\00:20:52.31
Now, just in case
00:20:52.31\00:20:54.25
being in a church,
00:20:54.25\00:20:56.12
someone is starting to go down
00:20:56.12\00:20:58.12
a path
00:20:58.12\00:20:58.55
that Paul was very concerned
00:20:58.79\00:21:00.12
about.
00:21:00.12\00:21:00.86
You know,
00:21:01.12\00:21:01.59
Paul speaks in detail in Romans
00:21:01.82\00:21:03.66
about how things that look bad
00:21:03.99\00:21:05.53
like sin itself
00:21:05.53\00:21:06.96
and our sinfulness
00:21:06.96\00:21:07.96
God can use for good.
00:21:07.96\00:21:10.23
But don't take from this
00:21:10.23\00:21:12.30
that one of God's
00:21:12.30\00:21:13.10
preferred methods for you
00:21:13.10\00:21:16.47
being a blessing
00:21:16.47\00:21:17.34
to other people
00:21:17.34\00:21:18.57
is to cause trials
00:21:18.57\00:21:19.61
in someone else's life.
00:21:19.61\00:21:20.71
Are you following
00:21:20.71\00:21:21.21
along with me? Okay?
00:21:21.21\00:21:22.78
So if you say, Oh, hey, Dr.
00:21:22.78\00:21:24.48
DeRose said,
00:21:24.48\00:21:25.35
you know, trials of
00:21:25.35\00:21:26.25
be a blessing, I'm going to Dr.
00:21:26.25\00:21:28.02
DeRose, I got a trial for you.
00:21:28.02\00:21:29.62
I got it all planned.
00:21:29.62\00:21:31.49
Please, please.
00:21:31.49\00:21:32.32
Here's what Paul said.
00:21:32.32\00:21:33.86
What shall we say then?
00:21:33.86\00:21:35.69
Shall we continue in sin
00:21:35.69\00:21:37.46
that grace may abound?
00:21:37.46\00:21:39.33
Certainly not!
00:21:39.33\00:21:41.53
Okay?
00:21:41.53\00:21:42.36
God wants you to cultivate
00:21:42.50\00:21:44.20
christian graces.
00:21:44.20\00:21:45.20
One of them is not causing
00:21:45.20\00:21:47.10
trials to your
00:21:47.10\00:21:47.87
brothers and sisters.
00:21:47.87\00:21:49.24
So why do people
00:21:50.37\00:21:51.27
have poorer health?
00:21:51.27\00:21:52.07
Let's come back to that
00:21:52.07\00:21:52.97
when they're
00:21:52.97\00:21:53.21
discriminated against.
00:21:53.51\00:21:54.31
Here's an interesting study.
00:21:54.31\00:21:56.01
This was a fascinating study
00:21:56.01\00:21:57.55
to me, published
00:21:57.55\00:21:58.35
about a decade ago,
00:21:58.35\00:21:59.71
looking at young people,
00:21:59.71\00:22:01.38
looking at adolescents.
00:22:01.38\00:22:02.48
Now, you might say, well,
00:22:02.48\00:22:03.85
you know, adolescents,
00:22:03.85\00:22:04.79
they really
00:22:04.79\00:22:06.25
you know,
00:22:06.25\00:22:06.45
what kind of health problems
00:22:06.92\00:22:07.32
do they have?
00:22:07.32\00:22:07.92
I mean, they're resilient
00:22:07.92\00:22:08.96
and all.
00:22:08.96\00:22:09.36
So they're looking at,
00:22:09.49\00:22:10.56
you know,
00:22:10.56\00:22:10.79
a healthy group of people
00:22:11.19\00:22:12.53
and they wanted
00:22:12.53\00:22:13.13
to see what effect
00:22:13.13\00:22:15.13
discrimination had
00:22:15.33\00:22:16.77
against them.
00:22:16.77\00:22:17.40
They looked at actually it's
00:22:17.40\00:22:18.37
social class discrimination
00:22:18.37\00:22:20.40
in a group of poorer
00:22:20.40\00:22:22.37
young people.
00:22:22.37\00:22:24.04
What they found
00:22:24.04\00:22:24.64
was actually quite interesting
00:22:24.71\00:22:26.17
in this study of over
00:22:26.17\00:22:27.01
250 young people
00:22:27.01\00:22:29.11
about equally distributed
00:22:29.11\00:22:30.25
between guys and gals.
00:22:30.25\00:22:32.88
13%, these are the words
00:22:33.45\00:22:35.38
of the authors, 13%
00:22:35.38\00:22:37.12
of the effect of poverty
00:22:37.12\00:22:38.75
on allostatic load.
00:22:38.75\00:22:40.76
That is a technical measure
00:22:40.76\00:22:42.62
of the health
00:22:42.62\00:22:43.46
impairing effects of stress.
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.63
They said it is explained
00:22:45.89\00:22:47.50
by discrimination,
00:22:47.50\00:22:48.46
perceived discrimination.
00:22:48.46\00:22:49.66
If you feel you're
00:22:49.66\00:22:50.23
being discriminated against,
00:22:50.33\00:22:51.73
whether someone says, Oh,
00:22:51.73\00:22:52.50
I'm not discriminating
00:22:52.50\00:22:53.37
against you, but you are.
00:22:53.37\00:22:54.77
I mean, every time you,
00:22:54.77\00:22:55.97
you know,
00:22:55.97\00:22:56.87
give someone something,
00:22:57.17\00:22:57.97
you never give it to me.
00:22:57.97\00:22:59.01
Well, it was just coincidence.
00:23:00.18\00:23:01.74
If you perceive
00:23:01.74\00:23:02.71
you're being
00:23:02.71\00:23:03.01
discriminated against,
00:23:03.24\00:23:04.05
that's what they found
00:23:04.05\00:23:04.75
in this study.
00:23:04.75\00:23:05.58
It actually undermines
00:23:05.58\00:23:06.92
your health.
00:23:06.92\00:23:07.32
Here's their conclusion.
00:23:07.52\00:23:08.52
The findings suggest
00:23:08.52\00:23:10.09
that social class
00:23:10.09\00:23:11.09
discrimination is one
00:23:11.09\00:23:12.69
important mechanism
00:23:12.69\00:23:14.52
behind the influence of poverty
00:23:14.52\00:23:16.56
on physical health.
00:23:16.66\00:23:18.43
Now, why do I share
00:23:18.43\00:23:19.13
that with you?
00:23:19.13\00:23:20.20
I share it with you
00:23:20.20\00:23:21.23
because rightly understood
00:23:21.23\00:23:22.93
the Christian church
00:23:22.93\00:23:24.87
is a vehicle
00:23:24.87\00:23:25.80
for healing communities.
00:23:25.80\00:23:28.24
You see,
00:23:28.74\00:23:29.37
when we accept people
00:23:29.37\00:23:30.77
into our fellowship,
00:23:30.77\00:23:31.71
when we embrace people,
00:23:31.71\00:23:33.71
what happens?
00:23:33.71\00:23:35.01
It has a healing
00:23:35.01\00:23:36.41
effect on them.
00:23:36.41\00:23:37.55
Has a healing effect.
00:23:37.55\00:23:40.05
Ministry of Healing.
00:23:40.05\00:23:41.92
Jesus is directly
00:23:42.02\00:23:44.12
combating discrimination
00:23:44.12\00:23:45.65
in this vignette.
00:23:45.65\00:23:47.22
By His presence,
00:23:47.22\00:23:48.72
He's healing those
00:23:48.72\00:23:49.82
who are social outcasts,
00:23:49.82\00:23:51.66
those with social scars,
00:23:51.66\00:23:53.40
those with emotional wounds,
00:23:53.40\00:23:55.00
those feeling
00:23:55.00\00:23:55.66
spiritual burdens.
00:23:55.66\00:23:57.17
What is Jesus doing?
00:23:57.17\00:23:58.23
He's coming close to them.
00:23:58.23\00:23:59.73
He said, I value you.
00:23:59.73\00:24:01.64
I fellowship with you.
00:24:01.64\00:24:03.10
You're important to me.
00:24:03.10\00:24:05.07
But remember what?he scribes
00:24:05.07\00:24:06.84
and Pharisees
00:24:06.84\00:24:07.48
do in this context.
00:24:07.48\00:24:08.54
Again,
00:24:08.54\00:24:09.31
they don't let Jesus ministry
00:24:09.31\00:24:11.51
play out.
00:24:11.51\00:24:12.45
They're going to intervene.
00:24:12.45\00:24:13.85
They're going to
00:24:13.85\00:24:14.25
cause conflict.
00:24:14.25\00:24:15.28
They're going to
00:24:15.28\00:24:15.75
cause controversy.
00:24:15.75\00:24:17.05
Why is Jesus doing this?
00:24:17.05\00:24:19.02
Why is He hanging out
00:24:19.02\00:24:20.49
with all these lowlifes?
00:24:20.49\00:24:21.99
Why is He hanging out
00:24:21.99\00:24:22.99
with those that we?
00:24:22.99\00:24:24.06
discriminating against
00:24:24.06\00:24:25.13
its implied right
00:24:25.13\00:24:26.16
and their very language?
00:24:26.16\00:24:27.86
We don't value these people.
00:24:27.86\00:24:29.13
Now, I think we
00:24:30.43\00:24:31.07
need to pause here,
00:24:31.07\00:24:33.03
and this is kind of sobering
00:24:33.30\00:24:34.37
because we're all church folk,
00:24:34.37\00:24:35.87
because we're in the church
00:24:35.87\00:24:37.07
or you're watching
00:24:37.07\00:24:38.14
a film
00:24:38.14\00:24:39.07
of something
00:24:39.07\00:24:39.54
that took place in a church.
00:24:39.74\00:24:41.64
Who is creating the conflict?
00:24:41.64\00:24:43.91
It's not the tax collectors
00:24:44.65\00:24:46.21
and the sinners.
00:24:46.21\00:24:47.85
It's the holy ones.
00:24:47.88\00:24:50.22
And what's their problem?
00:24:50.22\00:24:52.32
They say, well,
00:24:52.32\00:24:52.92
they're obviously not upholding
00:24:53.02\00:24:54.59
the standards, the traditions.
00:24:54.59\00:24:56.49
Right?
00:24:56.49\00:24:57.16
Jesus is ministering a way
00:24:57.69\00:24:59.63
that's not
00:24:59.63\00:25:00.10
checking all their boxes.
00:25:00.33\00:25:01.50
And what are they doing?
00:25:01.50\00:25:02.26
Instead of allowing
00:25:02.26\00:25:03.06
Jesus to minister
00:25:03.06\00:25:04.63
they're trying to stir up
00:25:04.63\00:25:06.30
conflict.
00:25:06.30\00:25:07.80
Now, lest
00:25:07.80\00:25:08.97
you think I have a problem
00:25:08.97\00:25:10.97
with those of you
00:25:10.97\00:25:11.97
that have higher standards
00:25:11.97\00:25:13.27
by the way,
00:25:13.27\00:25:13.68
I think we should all have
00:25:13.91\00:25:14.61
higher standards.
00:25:14.61\00:25:15.24
I'm speaking of myself, too.
00:25:15.24\00:25:16.64
But if we were to look at
00:25:17.91\00:25:20.12
my one
00:25:20.12\00:25:20.62
of my favorite definitions
00:25:20.75\00:25:21.95
of sin,
00:25:21.95\00:25:22.88
Jesus expressed it
00:25:22.88\00:25:23.92
on the cross in Luke 23,
00:25:23.92\00:25:25.75
He said, Father,
00:25:25.75\00:25:27.36
forgive them,
00:25:27.36\00:25:28.66
for they do not know
00:25:28.66\00:25:30.13
what they're doing.
00:25:30.13\00:25:31.26
One definition of sin
00:25:31.26\00:25:32.79
is that which we do,
00:25:32.79\00:25:34.86
which is contrary
00:25:35.03\00:25:36.53
to our own best interests.
00:25:36.53\00:25:38.13
Okay? That's what Jesus saying.
00:25:38.13\00:25:39.87
He saying
00:25:39.87\00:25:40.27
no one in their
00:25:40.27\00:25:41.04
right mind would sin.
00:25:41.04\00:25:43.27
They don't know
00:25:43.27\00:25:43.74
what they're doing.
00:25:43.81\00:25:45.44
And don't miss this in Acts 6
00:25:45.47\00:25:47.88
after Jesus death,
00:25:48.34\00:25:50.08
His resurrection and ascension.
00:25:50.08\00:25:52.08
It says an Acts 6.
00:25:52.08\00:25:53.28
So the Word of God spread.
00:25:53.28\00:25:55.32
The number of disciples
00:25:55.32\00:25:56.42
in Jerusalem increased rapidly,
00:25:56.42\00:25:58.35
and a large number of priests
00:25:58.35\00:26:00.46
became obedient to the faith.
00:26:00.46\00:26:02.72
So here's the take home
00:26:02.72\00:26:03.63
message okay?
00:26:03.63\00:26:04.83
Jesus bringing
00:26:04.93\00:26:06.13
healing into these
00:26:06.13\00:26:07.50
controversial situations.
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.30
Here, what does Jesus do?
00:26:09.30\00:26:11.20
He reassures us
00:26:11.20\00:26:12.90
those who are well
00:26:14.14\00:26:15.57
have no need of a physician
00:26:15.57\00:26:17.31
but those who are sick.
00:26:17.31\00:26:19.31
I came not to
00:26:19.31\00:26:20.31
call the righteous but sinners.
00:26:20.31\00:26:22.38
Here's the good news.
00:26:22.38\00:26:23.48
If you recognize your need
00:26:23.48\00:26:24.98
today,
00:26:24.98\00:26:25.75
Jesus is saying
00:26:25.75\00:26:27.08
I'm here today for you.
00:26:27.08\00:26:29.82
He emphasizes this
00:26:30.15\00:26:32.09
because of conflict.
00:26:32.09\00:26:33.32
Take that to the bank.
00:26:33.32\00:26:34.62
You are precious to Him,
00:26:34.62\00:26:36.39
and He wants you
00:26:36.39\00:26:37.66
to enjoy
00:26:37.66\00:26:38.99
fellowship with your Creator.
00:26:38.99\00:26:41.50
Let us pray once more.
00:26:43.16\00:26:45.00
Father in Heaven,
00:26:45.00\00:26:45.80
We pray that your truth
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.07
would truly take
00:26:47.07\00:26:48.14
hold in our hearts.
00:26:48.14\00:26:49.44
That it would change
00:26:49.44\00:26:50.27
us, make us people
00:26:50.27\00:26:52.07
that make a difference
00:26:52.07\00:26:53.51
on planet Earth today.
00:26:53.51\00:26:55.11
We ask in Jesus name, Amen.
00:26:55.11\00:26:57.48
We're interested
00:26:59.25\00:27:00.42
in helping you
00:27:00.42\00:27:01.15
on your journey as well.
00:27:01.15\00:27:02.88
We thank you for each
00:27:02.88\00:27:03.85
one of you who partner
00:27:03.85\00:27:04.95
with us
00:27:04.95\00:27:05.32
in this viewer
00:27:05.32\00:27:06.49
and listener
00:27:06.49\00:27:06.99
supported ministry.
00:27:06.99\00:27:08.69
For those of you
00:27:08.69\00:27:09.46
that are
00:27:09.46\00:27:10.53
donors at this special
00:27:10.53\00:27:12.06
time of year,
00:27:12.06\00:27:12.76
we're putting this program
00:27:12.76\00:27:14.50
out in April of 2023
00:27:14.50\00:27:16.16
for a limited time.
00:27:16.16\00:27:17.43
We're offering you a free
00:27:17.43\00:27:19.80
set of presentations
00:27:19.80\00:27:21.77
on the Gospel of Mark
00:27:21.77\00:27:23.27
eight, 30 minute
00:27:23.27\00:27:24.27
presentations different
00:27:24.27\00:27:25.54
than the ones
00:27:25.54\00:27:26.01
you've been viewing,
00:27:26.07\00:27:27.04
goes through the entire
00:27:27.04\00:27:28.11
gospel of Mark.
00:27:28.11\00:27:29.58
This lists for $40,
00:27:29.58\00:27:31.21
it's yours
00:27:31.21\00:27:31.65
free for a one time gift of $25
00:27:31.91\00:27:34.75
or more,
00:27:34.75\00:27:35.48
or a recurring gift of $15
00:27:35.48\00:27:38.45
or more per month.
00:27:38.45\00:27:39.85
To donate or for more details,
00:27:39.85\00:27:41.89
go simply to our website.
00:27:41.89\00:27:43.89
www.TimlessHealingInsights.org
00:27:43.89\00:27:49.73
Again,
00:27:50.07\00:27:50.50
that's
00:27:50.50\00:27:50.83
www.TimlessHealingInsights.org.
00:27:51.20\00:27:54.94
Thank you for your partnership.
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